Sleepwalking
by love comes and goes
Summary: In which Ino wakes up one morning and finds herself in the arms of one Uzumaki Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

The grief had been easy enough to handle. The vengeance of her sensei had given her a sense of closure even though she would miss him dearly, she figured, with time, the pain would diminish.

That was until she had gone to sleep.

She was dreaming but in truth they were memories of Asuma-sensei and their time together. They were flashes and increased into nonsense before halting with the announcement of his death.

Kakazu had to die.

_But isn't he already...?_

But then his Akatsuki cloak flashed in her mind and she knew he wasn't- at least in her dream he wasn't.

_But Naruto isn't here..._

She wasn't completely aware of the extent but she had been inspired by Naruto's determination to help them- put his life on line like that. And while she was normally a confident Konoichi, in the recesses of her mind, her true fears and insecurities took hold much easier without conscious effort to terminate them before they could actually take hold and hinder her.

Coupled with the recent death of her sensei and the deliriousness of the dream... her body responded.

It wasn't until the next morning that Ino would realize that when one was a ninja, certain... 'episodes' tended to be far more drastic than for civilians.

Developing Somnambulism, otherwise known as 'sleepwalking' – well as her team mate would pu it, was going to be very 'troublesome'.

Especially when one woke up in the arms of one Uzumaki Naruto.

Yes, very 'troublesome' indeed.

* * *

**This is to help get over my writer's block with Interference – another Naruto/Ino of mine.**

**Check that out if you can ; )**


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing that Ino was aware of was that she was just so _comfortable_.

She didn't want to wake up.

Because as comfortable as she felt, she was tired. Her body felt heavy and sluggish. Her eyes just as heavy.

_Its so warm... I need to get closer to the warmth._

She snuggled against whatever was keeping her warm. And then it snuggled against her and they both let out a content sigh.

Wait... it was snuggling against her.

She froze and whatever _it_ was that had snuggled against _her,_ went rigid.

Ino's eyes opened and blue met blue.

She screamed.

* * *

**This whole thing was inspired by a scene in _Interference _and just gained a mind of its own.**

**Short chapters, faster updates, review if you like.**


	3. Chapter 3

"What are you doing in my room!"

"Your room? What are you doing in _my _room!"

"What are-" Ino's rant died in her throat when she realized that the sheets weren't _her_ lavender sheets and the bed wasn't _her_ queen's sized bed with an amazing mattress and instead was an off white sheets she was intimately wrapped up in and the bed was twin sized with a really lumpy mattress.

She was in Naruto's room which meant she was in his apartment... as in not _her _apartment.

She had tackled Naruto onto the floor, the sheets tangled up around their legs and waist. She straddled him as she kept his arms against the floor.

"Ino. Get. Off." Naruto stressed in a surprisingly husky voice. It was then she realized that something was... poking her backside.

_Holy shit, Naruto's a guy._ Ino didn't know why that was such a big deal.

"Sorry." She mumbled as she got up off of him. Naruto sat up and crossed his legs in an effort to hide his erection while Ino sat on his bed. The two blushing blondes couldn't look at each other before it became too awkward for Naruto.

"So," Naruto cleared his throat, "...what are you doing here?"

"I don't know! I fell asleep in my bed but then I woke up in yours!" Ino yelled, flabbergasted.

"...Are you sure?" Naruto asked, squinting his eyes in doubt.

"Of course, you idiot!" Ino yelled, hitting him over the head. She crossed her arms and looked away, indignant.

"Sheesh, I was just asking." Naruto said, rubbing the growing bump.

"So..." Naruto started, composing himself. "Now what?"

"I go home and we never speak of this again." Ino said simply. Ino nodded at her plan and stood. Ino quickly remembered her manners and looked back at him.

"I'm sorry for breaking into your house and sneaking into your bed. It won't happen again." Ino said before leaving.

She never noticed Naruto's crestfallen face.


	4. Chapter 4

"Damn it!"

Ino banged her head against Naruto's chest repeatedly.

"I'm asume tying yourself to the bed didn't work out." Naruto idly mentioned as he watched her.

"You asume correct. Now shut up, I'm thinking." Ino muttered against his chest.

The two blue eyed blondes were desensitized by the now normal occurrence of waking up in each other's arms.

"What have I told you about wearing a shirt to bed?" Ino said after a moment, looking up at Naruto with reproach.

"To not forget it." Naruto said with practiced ease.

"And what did you do?"

"Forgot it." Naruto said, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"Idiot." Ino muttered, snuggling up against Naruto.

"Uh..." Naruto grew nervous. Ino never stayed after she woke up and the fact that she was willingly getting closer to him was making morning wood worse.

"I give up. I'm not getting enough sleep as it is and me having to go home is just cutting off even more of my precious sleep. Wake me up when the sun is up." Ino murmured against his chest. Naruto was far too comfortable for his own good. He was perfectly tone, muscles in every contour of his body but they were just perfect for using as a makeshift pillow.

"But-" Naruto tried his best to out _it_ down but to no avail, "Ino, your making it worse."

His pleas fell on deaf ears. Ino had already fallen asleep.

Naruto sighed but knew better to concede. Moving in a way that would be... easier on him, he looked down at Ino...

...And hoped she never fixed whatever was wrong with her.


	5. Chapter 5

Ino sighed a bit mournfully before slapping her cheeks in an attempt to wake herself up.

Naruto was gone on a mission yet she had still woken up in his room – alone. It was the fifth day yet her body still failed to realize that Naruto was not home – so maybe it wasn't Naruto's fault that she was waking up in the middle of the night to sleep in his bed.

But if she thought about it, Ino was glad it was Naruto and not anybody else.

Snapping herself awake (between her musings, her eyes started to droop) she bounced out of bed and began to get ready for the day.

Once or twice her gaze found itself going over to the empty bed, expecting Naruto to be there watching her in a sleepy haze as he did just about every morning. She had never called him out on it and it had unnerved her at first but she had become accustomed to his presence and his gaze and before she knew it – it became routine.

And admittedly... she sort of – missed him. A little.

And with a heavy heart, she locked up his apartment, having tidied up, watered the plants, restocked his ramen supply (because kami knew he would have whined about it in the morning... whenever he showed up) and left for the day.

* * *

**Sorry for disappearing. I took some time off writing. I'll update tomorrow as well.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Oh! Uh, hey Naruto... didn't know you were back." Ino said a bit embarrassed. She hadn't sensed him at all.

"Yeah, I just got back." Naruto answered, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "Did you leave something here?"

"Well, sorta." Ino started, not sure how to explain. "I went home and decided to turn in early," Ino deftly decided to leave out the fact that she couldn't seem to stop thinking about him, "when, wouldn't you know it – most of my clothes are gone and by default... most of my sleep wear."

"Oh." Naruto had noticed how she not only stopped leaving in the middle of the night but had taken to bring clothing and leaving her pajamas in his no longer mess of a closet. Ino was changing in his apartment, getting ready and leaving belongings as well.

Arriving home, Naruto tripped on a scarf. A scarf! He didn't bother on dwelling on it any further, not at all caring why Ino owned a scarf when they were in Fire country (An area that seemed to lay in the perpetual seasons of spring and summer) much less what it was doing laying on his floor by the door way.

Half of his closet was occupied by girlie things he didn't understand.

"Hey... does that mean its an official sleep over?" Naruto asked.

"Idiot." Ino muttered, hitting him over the head. "I'm going to bed."

Naruto silently followed, removing his dark blue T-shirt with an orange swirl on the front, and throwing himself on the bed. He turned to the side and blearily stared at the bathroom door that was left slightly ajar.

Ino was in her bra and panties doing what she usually did in the morning. Washing her face and brushing her teeth and stuff. Naruto didn't actually care, he just liked watching her.

Maybe it was years of being around Kakashi-sensei and Ero-sennin but Naruto found that he rather liked watching Ino while she was half naked.

Not like she discouraged his staring anyway.

After another five minutes, Ino walked out in matching blue shorts and tank top and lay beside Naruto.

"So... how was your mission?" Ino asked, not at all feeling as tired as she thought she was.

"Mmh?... It was a the typical C-class mission gone awry." Naruto answered yawing.

"Huh?"

"I've never had a straight forward C-class mission. For some reason..." Naruto began wiggling, in an effort to remove his pants. Ino simply rolled her eyes. "-my C-class missions always go wrong and they turn from C to B or A."

With the success of his pants removal ("Don't just throw them on the floor!" "Then where?!?" In the hamper you idiot!" "...I have a hamper?") Naruto managed to pull out the sheets from under them and threw it over their bodies.

"Thats weird. You've never had a normal C-class mission?" Ino asked.

"Nope." Naruto answered popping the 'p'. "Even my my first one ever with Team 7. It went from C-class to A-class."

"Really, what happened?" Ino asked, curious. She vaguely recalled Sakura telling her something similar but she couldn't remember any of the details.

Before Naruto continued, he pulled the sheet up and gave her an expectant look. She stared at him incomprehensibly for a moment before realization struck her and she rolled her eyes at him but mutely complied by closing the inch of space between them and letting Naruto wrap his arm around her.

"...Idiot." Ino muttered as she watched his smirk turn into a full blown grin.

"ANYWAY, we were supposed to escort this old bridge builder..."

-

**This one ended up being a bit longer than the others... don't expect them to be this long in the future. If I feel a chapter has to be long then so be it but the way this is, if they're short that means their was nothing left to add. **

**Now, this isn't supposed to be taken the wrong way for those of you who are 'sensitive' but... Stop complaining and enjoy the little snipets I give you. Thats what they were written for. Like I said before, this is just to help with any writer's block I have on **_**Interference **_**and for you to read and review if you like.**

**But those who have reviewed – thank you very much. Although you don't have to, they do tend to brighten up my day.**


	7. Chapter 7

Sakura was annoyed.

The idiot was still asleep and banging on his door was accomplishing nothing.

"Don't you have a spare key?" Sai asked from behind her. Instead of answering – Sakura had a feeling that Sai would say something that would inevitably piss her off and it was too early in the morning to give him a concussion – she took out her spare key and opened the door.

"Its... clean?" Sakura muttered, surprised. Naruto wasn't exactly a pig but there was always something that was left out. Like a shirt or some empty cup ramen. Usually he was tired from the solo missions that Tsunade kept issuing him lately.

She blinked before going over to his room.

They hadn't been seeing much of Naruto lately and Sasuke was getting grumpy. Apparently there was only so much he could stand before he needed his Naruto dose to remind him that there are much more annoying people in the world.

Bastard.

"Hey Naru...to."

"Uh... hey, Sakura." Naruto greeted, his voice going unusually high.

"Its- not what it looks like!" Ino yelled, trying to put on black pants as Naruto steadied her. Normally, Ino had impeccable balance (like all ninja did) but she had been panicking and had already fallen over twice trying to remove her pajamas while Naruto continued to run escape plans by her, obliviously. That is until the second time she fell and Naruto finally tried to help which only made matters worse and brought them to the scene that Sakura had walked in on.

"Thats... fairly hard to believe." Sakura said, pinching herself.

Ino was finally able to get her black pants on before abruptly freezing.

Why did she care what Sakura thought?

"Oh." Ino said, relaxing, never mind the fact that she stopped short of putting on a bra (she felt silly putting those things on to sleep – no matter the fact that Naruto really was seeing everything). "Well, then I tried." She continued with a shrug. This time both Sakura and Naruto blinked at her in confusion.

"Uh... I'll be out in five minutes." Naruto said, pushing Sakura out of his bedroom and closing the door in her face.

"What happened? One minute your freaking, the next your fine?" Naruto asked, eyeing her.

"Thats because I realized I don't really care what she thinks." Ino said, laying on the bed.

"Huh?" Naruto would have said more but Ino's breasts decided to make themselves known at the moment and his eyes seemed unable to look away...

"Because I could care less about whether she thought we were together. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't really mind." Ino said, rolling over.

But they did this bulging thing and they looked even BIGGER, which was really saying something since Ino had really big – wait what?

Naruto shook his head, ridding himself of his previous thoughts and let his eyes turn back to Ino's face. She had an amused smile, apparently finding it funny how long it took Naruto to register what she said.

"...You wouldn't?"

Ino's mirth softened as she nodded her head in confirmation.

Naruto's answering smile was covered by Ino's own lips when he bent over and kissed her.

Fifteen minutes later in the living room, Sai was seated on the couch, watching Sakura as she murmured denials.

"I think he forgot about us."

* * *

**Ugh. They're getting longer and mushier on their own. **


	8. Chapter 8

"Its not like you to be late." Kakashi idly mentioned as the three arrived at the bridge. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Sakura's inability to look in Naruto's direction while the smile that Naruto carried wasn't just for show, along with an oddly smug aura. Sai, was of course, unaffected and was smiling his usual creepy smile.

"Something came up." Naruto answered, looking straight into Kakashi's eye. Quickly, he shot a look at Sasuke, who pretended to be engrossed in cleaning his blade.

Kakashi caught the message: _Not in front of Sasuke._

Sai, however, didn't.

"Naruto seems to have been occupied by beautiful-"

"-by my beautiful, _beautiful _dream of becoming a Hokage. Tsunade had me filing away some paperwork." Naruto finished, closing a hand over Sai's mouth. Naruto laughed it off when Sasuke sent a quick glare in his direction. Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto let out simultaneous sighs of relief when there was no further reaction.

"Alright, lets begin training."

* * *

"Ugh."

Ino looked up from her scroll to watch Naruto stumble into the bedroom.

"You okay there?" Ino asked with a raised eyebrow. It wasn't like Naruto to be clumsy in his own home – unless he was so tired from a mission that he tripped over the foyer and never even made to the couch. Shes tripped on _him_ enough times to know.

"Sasuke wasn't... happy. And took it out on me during our spar." Naruto said as a way of explanation. Ino remained confused. Noting it, Naruto lay beside her and went into story mode.

"Sasuke... doesn't like it when I hang out with other people." Seeing the incredulous look Ino was sending him he continued. "When we fought I said a few things, made a couple promises that he really didn't expect I would keep. Especially when he wasn't planning on coming back."

"But I beat him and dragged his ass back here. And I kept my word. And now he's trying to use it against me like the teme he is to see if I break them."

Ino stared at him long and hard. There was a lot missing there. It was like a summary – telling you everything that happens but none of the details that makes you want to find out more. And there was something else that even Naruto didn't know, like maybe it wasn't what he thought it was. Maybe Sasuke wasn't actually planning anything or-

She really needed to take a break from the Interrogation room in ANBU, she was reading between the lines way too much.

"So you being with me will be seen as a sign that you've... lost." Ino finished not sure if that was the right word.

"I... think?" Naruto replied, not exactly sure himself.

"So I'm your secret girlfriend?" Ino said.

"Not that I don't want people to know about you or anything!" Naruto yelled flailing his arms.

"...You just don't want The _Uchiha_ to know." Ino answered. Naruto blinked at the tone and thought Ino was going to get mad when she suddenly grabbed his shoulders and straddled him, sporting a wicked smirk.

"This is going to be fun." She said with a quick chuckle. Before common sense could kick in, Ino kissed him and the conversation was forgotten by Naruto as his hormones went into overdrive.

_Sasuke Uchiha... who knew you'd become one of my rivals one day. Well pretty boy, let's see what your relationship exactly is with _my_ boyfriend._

_

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_

**I was gonna end it at ch.7 but I figured what the hell... as much as you guys complain about it being too short, you keep coming back. **

**Just a little heads up, because I had to do some actual plotting other genres are going to be popping up – ch.10 is already looking a bit on the serious side.**


	9. Chapter 9

"Whats wrong with your neck, dobe." Sasuke grunted as he walked through threshold.

"I had an accident with some senbon and kunai." Naruto answered vaguely. He wiped at his neck and twitched as the blood clotted and the _hickey_ slowly but surely disappeared.

_Sheesh, Ino... bite any harder?_

Ino had been a lot more aggressive as of late especially in the morning for some reason.

_It's like she wants me to get caught..._

Ino had been getting up earlier than usual – something about a guy that had amazing mental barriers – and had already been dressed and ready to go and Naruto may or may not have been stalling her by his insistent groping (though they hadn't officially gotten to second base – although there have been a few times where he'd woken up unable to breathe because she had him pressed up against her breasts... good times, good times...) when he sensed Sasuke nearby.

Naruto could sense Sasuke from a mile away. It probably had something to do with his adeptness in Sage chakra coupled with years of searching for the ungrateful bastard.

So he begged Ino to go out through the window. Ino had pursed her lips and agreed and distracted him for few moments with some well placed kisses a particularly vicious one before disappearing into the morning.

In the 33 seconds that it took Sasuke to arrive, he had gathered all things Ino (Sandals, make-up, _scarves_) and hid them in the closet.

"Why are you here anyway." Naruto asked as he eyed Sasuke maneuver himself around the living room.

"Avoiding."

"Avoiding what?"

"Women."

"Oh." Naruto stared at him for a moment, resisting the urge to let out a manic giggle before he went into the kitchen to grab some instant ramen.

He wasn't going to point out that he made an obvious move because that was probably exactly his plan to begin with. Going to your teammates apartment was something that was a given and any ninja would have made his home the first place to check.

It probably wasn't ninja that was stalking him then.

_No fun... and I made up all those awesome traps too_, Naruto thought forlornly.

"Have you been cleaning, dobe?" Sasuke asked, turning to look at him.

"Its more like I haven't had time to get my apartment dirty, why?" Naruto answered, his lie coming at him with ease, and a raised eyebrow. Sasuke's question came out more accusatory than anything and for the life of him, Naruto couldn't figure out why.

Sasuke didn't even blink and merely headed for his room.

"Don't go in there!" Naruto yelled. He hadn't bothered to clean up his room. Ino's stuff was all over the place!

Sasuke turned and slowly pushed the door open to aggravate him.

"I was masturbating!" Naruto blurted, panicking.

The reaction was immediate and he stepped away from the bedroom with a disgusted look. Sasuke shook his head for a moment before heading back to the front door.

Naruto let out a relieved sigh.

"Are you coming?" Sasuke called out.

"Don't get you panties in a twist!" Naruto retorted as he ran to catch up with him.

_That was close..._


	10. Chapter 10

**Special thanks to Orange205 for being the hundredth reviewer – yeah I got a hundred reviews... turns out my readers are just that awesome.**

* * *

_Please be okay, please be okay..._

Sakura had shown up during their spar and pulled Naruto aside to tell him that Ino had been in the hospital. With a quick thanks for the info, Naruto was gone in a whirlwind of leaves.

"Do you know where Yamanaka Ino is being held?" Naruto asked.

The girl behind the desk jumped at his voice and looked up wide eyed at him.

"Y-your Uzumaki Naruto!"

_Oh crap, the receptionist just _had_ to be new._

When you defeat a man that had already destroyed the village and more than half its population and somehow turned him into a good guy and consequently brought every one who had died back to life... your name gets thrown around a bit.

"Yeah I am, so... can you tell me where Yamanaka Ino is being held?" Naruto asked politely.

"Oh my god, can I get an autograph?" The receptionist asked, scrambling for a piece of paper.

"Um-"

"Naruto?"

"Ino!" Naruto yelled, relieved. He turned to face her and smiled.

"What are you doing here?" Ino asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sakura told me you were in the hospital and I came to check on you. Are you okay?" Naruto asked, stepping in front of her and assessing her for any injuries.

"Of course. I may have been a bit too... enthusiastic with our prisoner and I _may_ have accidentally, um, crippled him for life." Ino answered quickly. Naruto eyed her for a moment and she blushed under his scrutiny.

And then he laughed.

"Shut up." Ino muttered, wrapping her arms around his neck. Naruto continued to smile even as he bent down to kiss her.

The moment was ruined by a very high squeal.

"Oh... My... God." The intern fanned herself with a piece of paper from her desk and hopped over to the other side in one breath.

"You have to tell me what its like to date THE Uzumaki Naruto because there was this rumor going around that he was with Uchiha Sasuke and my friend was totally into the idea but I thought Uchiha-sama was asexual and that you guys are just really close friends and it looks like I was right and-"

"Whoa, whoa... back up. Girls think I'm..." Naruto paled for second, "_with_ Sasuke." He finished whispering. He choked on his saliva before looking at Ino for some support.

"You know," Ino started with a contemplative voice, "the girls do have some merit."

"I-Ino!" Naruto yelled blushing. She wasn't supposed to _agree_.

"No seriously. First off, is/was your dedication to bringing him back. From a shinobi's perspective it doesn't seem weird at all but for civilians I guess it seems a bit extreme and now that he's here, you guys are practically together... _all the time_." Ino stated, emphasizing that last bit.

Naruto gulped and chuckled awkwardly.

"Yeah, thats what my friend said." The receptionist agreed as she nodded her head.

"Hey, um, can you keep this a secret?" Naruto asked.

"Why?"

"Yes, Naruto, _why_?" Ino echoed. Naruto sweat-dropped and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"B-because I wouldn't want any of my more... eccentric fans to be mean to you?" Naruto said in a questioning voice.

"Oh! You want to protect your girlfriend!" The receptionist supplied. "Aw, no problem!" She said perkily, swooning at how cute they were. She obliviously went back to her station.

"Nice save." Ino said. She smirked before she started walking away. Naruto blinked before scrambling after.

"Y-your not... mad?" Naruto asked, wincing at his tack or lack thereof. He hoped his mention of said emotion didn't make her madder.

Ino paused at his inquiry and looked to the side to roll her eyes at the question. Her attention was taken away when she happened to look at a janitor's closet.

"What would you do if I was?" Ino countered, looking at him mischievously. Naruto calmed but eyed her cautiously. Ino liked to pounce him when he least expected.

Which was hot.

And Naruto wasn't disappointed.

She immediately grabbed his shirt and pushed him back. But instead of wrapping her arms around his neck like she usually did, her hand shot passed him and a barely audible click resonated before Ino kicked him.

_Kicked_ him.

And _then_ she latched onto him. His back hit the wall hard but he ignored it in favor of wrapping his arms around her thighs and hoisting her up against him. Ino obliged and wrapped them around his waist.

The world just... _disappeared_ and all her senses could pick up on was his entirety.

Ino gasped when Naruto bit her lip and flipped them around so that _she_ was the one hitting the wall. But the slight throbbing of her head and lower back was ignored in favor of running her hand through his hair and shoving her tongue down his throat.

Ino wasn't as vain as people like to think she was – there was an actual reason why she didn't date. Maybe it was naïve of her to but she liked to think you had to at least have_ something_ with person for there to be anything resembling a healthy relationship with someone.

Sasuke had taught her that.

But she'd been completely blindsided about the amount of passion Naruto and her were able to produce with a few well placed kisses.

With his mere _touch_ he was able to get her heart racing and it was the things like that made her contemplate that the thing they had going was really something special.

And then his lips went to her cheek and then her chin to her neck and she had the sense to open her eyes for a moment and then she remembered that they were in a janitor's closet (which she had to admit, she'd always wanted to do i.e. the impulse) and also conveniently remembered that she had to go back to T & I before they had an ANBU track her down – normal procedure.

Which she'd really rather not happen seeing as they were doing this whole thing in 'secret' anyway.

"One of these days..." Naruto breathed. Ino shivered at just how _sexy_ his voice sounded with the declaration and couldn't exactly find a way to answer him so she opted at nodding her head... to whatever it was he was talking about.

And they held each other, looking into each other's half lidded eyes and slowly the world started again and Ino could hear voices, foot steps, and reality started up again.

"Crap! Gotta go!" Ino untangled herself from him, kissed him on the cheek, and shunshined out toward T & I.

Naruto blinked before groaning.

He'd left _Sasuke_ in the training grounds.

But despite his annoyance at being left alone in a janitor''s closet, he couldn't wipe the silly lopsided grin off his face.

_Totally worth it..._

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**No comment.**


	11. Chapter 11

"Um – hey! Ino...?" Naruto particularly high pitched voice broke through the haze of Ino's sake clouded mind and she tried (and failed) to straighten up using the door she just come through to help her assess the situation.

"What is she doing here, dobe." This was another voice, a particularly irritated voice if she was right.

"I'm at my house ya b'stard!" Ino yelled, she waved her hand in an indignant gesture before realizing she was caring a sake bottle in her hand and grinned.

"I told that bitch I could steal her sake!" She declared happily. She turned to address said snake mistress before noticing she wasn't there.

"I has to go tell her!" Ino said, turning back around and stumbling for the door knob.

"You can't go back out like that!" Naruto yelped. No way he was going to leave his girlfriend unattended when she was so drunk!

"Yes you can."

"Fuck you, teme." Naruto said sending a quick glare in his his direction before swiping an arm under her knees and carrying her bridal style toward his room. Naruto made sure to kick the door shut on his way in as he delicately set Ino down on the bed.

"Just go to sleep. I promise to tell Anko what you did, k?" Naruto goaded.

"Your just saying that cause you don't want Sasuke to see us together." Ino blubbered, letting her arm cover her eyes to block out the light.

"I promise thats not true." Naruto retorted softly. Maybe Ino wasn't okay with keeping it a secret as much as he thought she was.

Ino gave him a look and Naruto lamented his statement.

"Okay, so its sort of true but I promise it won't be for long." Naruto kissed her on the forehead before straightening and closing the door behind him as the he exited the bedroom.

Ino stared as the door for a moment before groaning and turning over into the pillow. Naruto had to be aware that it was really hard to sleep when she knew that Sasuke was out there with him.

But then again Naruto was rather oblivious to things that regarded him. Ino reckoned it was kind of cute only because he did that scrunched up confused face that she adored.

"Stupid Uchiha." Ino grumbled. He really was stealing a lot of their time together. "Stupid Naruto." He was an idiot for letting Sasuke monopolize so much of him.

"Stupid Sakura, stupid Sai, stupid stupid stuuupiiiiddd..."

Ino promptly fell to sleep.

* * *

"I didn't know you and Ino were friends." Sasuke casually mentioned.

"Maybe you would have if you hadn't of ran off with Orochimaru." Naruto easily quipped. He was still a bit mad about Sasuke's blatant disregard of his girlfriend's safety regardless of the fact that Sasuke wasn't even aware of said relationship.

But in his defense, Naruto was a good guy and as a good guy he would never push away a person in need. Really, Sasuke should have seen it coming.

Sasuke glared but couldn't retort.

"Besides who cares, she doesn't even _like_ you anymore." Naruto added. In fact, Naruto was starting to believe that Ino was really starting to hate Sasuke with the way she kept using his name as a curse for everything that went wrong.

Sasuke scoffed and ignored Naruto's indignant look and returned to their 'Sake Battle'; Naruto's childish name for the game that they were playing which consisted of who could drink more saucers than the other. Sasuke refrained from criticizing the name simply because he was far too proud to admit to have fallen so low as to compete in such a pointless game much less admit that it indeed sounded a lot cooler that way.

"You would have noticed that if you hadn't had an affair."

"I hate you."

"What do you expect? The guy was constantly after boy's bodies. The fact that you _willingly_ went to him only spurs on my theories..."

"I DID NOT have an affair with Orochimaru." Sasuke seethed.

"Sure, Sasuke, sure."

"I'm going to kill you." Sasuke announced. He eyed the bedroom door and wondered if he could pin the blame on the Yamanaka.

"_Someones_ a bit sensitive." Naruto sing-songed. It was way too easy to tease Sasuke.

But then he noticed Sasuke's look at his room and decided that maybe he'd stop for the time being.

"So, um, what number were we on...?"

* * *

**Just think of tequila shots but just replace the tequila with sake and the shots with saucers.**


	12. Chapter 12

_Well.. thats embarrassing..._

Despite the massive hangover, Ino got up and went into to the shower. However, because of her rather impressive feat the day before, she was inclined to receive a day off.

So when Ino stepped out of the bathroom, body washed, teeth brushed, and just over all refreshed, she did so clad in underwear. A simple black cotton number that was reserved for alcohol recovering days like these.

With a nice, proper plate of breakfast in mind, she exited the bedroom intent on forcing Naruto to help her make said breakfast only to walk in on Naruto and _Sasuke Uchiha_... sharing a bowl of cereal.

"...Good morning." Ino greeted, eyeing the shared bowl.

"Theres actually a pretty hilarious story behind this – oh! And theres no more bowls in the kitchen." Naruto said nonchalantly.

Thankfully, Ino was already accustomed to Naruto's life what with practically living with him and all, so instead of dwelling on it, Ino simply made a mental note of buying a bunch of bowls (Flowery pinks and yellows so that he would think twice about breaking so many things) and continuing on into the kitchen.

"Well, as long as the plates are fine. I want some actual breakfast. Do you have the stuff to make pancakes?" Ino asked, bending over to rummage in the fridge.

"Why is the Yamanaka half naked." Sasuke demanded, keeping his eyes solely at his bowl.

"I'm an exhibitionist." Ino answered with shrug.

"What she _means_ to say is: don't look, don't look!" Naruto very briefly performing the oiroke jutsu to display a woman who was in front of men half naked _should_ look like.

"Why? I mean its you and Sasuke." Ino said, as if that explained everything. Which, when Naruto thought about, did.

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked, his eyes briefly flashing over to her before quickly looking away.

"Its _Naruto_," Ino said with a roll of her eyes. Plus, it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. "And you, Sasuke, have yet to ever react to any woman's wiles. In fact, the only advances you've ever reacted to was Orochimaru's..." she said, setting the ingredients on the counter.

"Ha! I _said_ it look-"

NOT! Another. Word." Sasuke seethed breaking his metal spoon in two.

"Fine." Naruto pouted but sent a grateful look at Ino who didn't acknowledge it. Damn, the silent treatment.

Apparently, Ino really, _really_ wasn't okay with keeping it a secret as he thought she was.

"Plus, like I said before, she doesn't even like you." Naruto muttered, slightly annoyed for some reason.

"Tch, this really proves it." Sasuke retorted sarcastically. Yep, he was getting annoyed.

"Nope, I'm serious." Naruto said blankly. Ino had stopped mixing the ingredients and was leaning against the counter to observe him. It was fun to watch Naruto get frustrated especially when it was obvious he wanted to tell Sasuke that they were together.

"How am I supposed to believe that?" Sasuke said with a shake of his head.

"He's right, you know." Ino suddenly said. The males both turned to look at her.

"How does he know that this isn't a ploy to get him to like me. He really has no way of knowing." Ino explained with a shrug. Sasuke eyed her, paranoid that this was yet another ploy.

Sasuke was too paranoid for his own good but they were ninja and they were all paranoid so she didn't call him out on it.

Especially when it was working in her favor.

"Your evil." Naruto murmured, realizing what Ino was up to. Sasuke blinked when he noticed that it wasn't directed at him.

Ino shrugged and, Sasuke suspected, that they both forgot he was there with them. Because they shared this look that Sasuke barely noticed was a conversation because it was usually _Sasuke_ that Naruto was able to have nonverbal conversations with.

And it was in that moment that Sasuke knew they'd spent far too much time together to be considered less than _close_ friends.

And since the slot of Best Friend was already filled by his own rather hesitant self, he knew what spot Ino was filling.

"Its about god damn time." Sasuke grunted, rising with the bowl in one hand.

The two blue eyed blondes turned to regard him in surprise.

"I'm tired of you hovering over me all the time. I'm not going to drop dead any moment and I think you've made your point that any desertion of any kind would be pointless since I'm here at the moment." Sasuke said with a quick flippant wave of his hand. "Go get laid, seriously."

With his message delivered, Sasuke nodded and headed for the door, bowl and all, before a he quickly added his final line.

"Ino..." Sasuke paused before shuddering, "at least you didn't end up with Sakura."

Ino, deciding to accept that as a compliment, gave him a hesitant smile, which Sasuke immediately glared at.

"...I still don't like you."


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry but I _HAVE _to give shout outs to:**

**Dudtheman****& A True Dreamer: For your random choice of chapters to review. Unpredictability is something I adore.**

**Jay-Jay12393:**** For reviewing everything in one go.**

**And, _of course_, one super huge thanks for the ego-boost to Bullwinkle's Lady. One of my favorite authors to stalk-err, watch out for likes my story. If that doesn't make a young authoress feel cool then I don't know what will. How young? Thats up for debate but _I _like to think of myself as young on the inside but I digress.**

**So, uh, seriously this was totally worth revealing my stalker tendencies... Hmm, I don't think Bullwinkle was aware she _had_ a stalker...**

_**Anyway**_**, this is a bit on the serious side but hopefully it goes back to being light-hearted next chapter.**

* * *

"Fucking Sasuke!" Ino cursed.

"...I thought Naruto was lying about that." Sakura admitted as she let up her attack.

They were sparring and Ino had been particularly vicious in her attacks. Sakura didn't mind too much, it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Although... she _may_ have gotten a bit carried away when she added a little chakra into her fist when they had already agreed to strictly use taijutsu.

And consequently breaking Ino's arm in retaliation.

"About what?" Ino grumbled, shooting a quick glare that Sakura brushed off.

"About you using Sasuke's name as a curse word." Sakura answered.

"Well... I'm really starting to hate Sasuke. Everything he does, I think he does to piss me off. _Especially_ when he knows that he's cutting in between the time me and Naruto spend to together." Ino explained as she let her chakra mend the broken bone. Luckily it wasn't shattered so it would only take a couple minutes to fix but she sat on the ground, legs crisscrossing to make herself comfortable while she did so.

"...Naruto and I." Sakura corrected, avoiding the statement entirely and gaining a sudden interest in a speck of dirt on her glove.

"So, uh, how'd you guys get together, anyway? Last time I checked the only times you guys even talked was when the Rookie 9 gathered together and next thing you know I walk in on you guys half naked." She asked after a moment of careful avoidance on the Sasuke subject.

"After Asuma-sensei died, Naruto was a... he helped me out with dealing with his death I guess." Ino answered with a shrug. And he had. Ino had been more concerned with trying to remain in her own bed that to mourn her sensei. As time passed, she began to apprentice under Ibiki and just didn't have time for herself.

That year mark was already getting pretty close, now that she thought about.

"Oh." Sakura looked a bit put out. That wasn't at all what she had expected but she'd been busy with Sasuke's return and trying to integrate him back into Team 7 which was nearly impossible with Naruto gone but suddenly blinked when she realized something.

"Wait, you guys have been together that long?" Sakura blurted.

"Yeah I guess." Give or take a few months. It appeared that the first time they were _technically_ together was when they kissed but to her it was ambivalent especially when she thought back to all those moments they shared together. The fact that a lot of those moments consisted of nothing more than waking up in each others' arms was what made it so amazing. She couldn't imagine another way to start her day.

"Wait – then does that mean you sleeping- sleeping over at his place isn't relatively new?" Sakura asked, slightly scandalized.

"Uh, no." Ino answered, standing and straightening her rumpled clothes as she pretended to not pay attention to Sakura's muttering. In retrospect, Ino could understand Sakura's distress especially the way she had to find out. But really, it was stupid to assume that some people were better suited for others just because they went well together.

They were shinobi. Assassins. They did all the dirty work and that changed people whether they knew it or not. Not to mention the life expectancy really wasn't in their favor. Most ninjas were willing to find comfort wherever it was offered (sexuality be damned) and as ninja they weren't about to do what _civvies_ thought they would. And Sakura was thinking like a civilian when it came to relationships.

"Oh. How many days during the week do you spend the night?" Sakura asked, losing gas. Ino was so casual about sleeping with her teammate. She was taking the joy out of the gossip.

"Every night." Ino answered truthfully. She couldn't understand Sakura's insistent need to know everything about their relationship (granted it wasn't like she wanted every detail and to Sakura, it did seem to come out of the blue) but she figured she owed her sort of best friend the truth.

Sakura choked on her own spit by the flippant answer and turned to look wide eyed at Ino.

"What?" Ino snapped.

"So your _living with him!_" Sakura yelled in a high pitched voice.

Ino opened her mouth to protest when she realized there was no argument to attest to that. Her wardrobe was at Naruto's place. Her food was at his place. She spent her free time (what little of that she had) at his place.

The last time she was at her own place was to go get some books and scrolls because Naruto was on a mission and she needed something to do. Then she took them back to Naruto's place.

"Oh shit, I am." Ino said aloud. There was another two seconds of feeling utterly _stupid_ before Ino shrugged it off and back into the village.

"Hey- where are you going?" Sakura called out in confusion.

"I'm getting the rest of my stuff and taking it to Naruto's place."


	14. Chapter 14

Ino sighed and discreetly stepped to the left to put some space between her and their client.

"-they are quite lovely this time of year. I'm sure I can pull some strings with the princess and allow you to stay and join me."

"I respectfully decline. Its quite unprofessional." Ino said with a firm voice.

"Tragic." The Noblemen, Kurama stated with a visible frown. It looked like he wasn't turned down often.

A muffled snort grabbed her attention and she looked ahead to see Naruto's shoulders shaking with obvious laughter.

The toad summons on his head had no shame and openly laughed. Problem was Ino wasn't sure if it was about her or their own conversation.

_Stupid boyfriends and their summons..._

The walk was surprisingly fast paced but they still had a ways to go for Spring Country. They were just about to arrive on the ports to board the boat.

And Ino was about ready to kill their clients herself.

They were three super rich powerful men that had were headed to Spring Country to do... something (Ino hadn't really been listening) and paid a hefty amount for five Jounin level shinobi to protect them and their families.

And one of them was shamelessly trying to flirt with her.

"My Lord, the horses need a water break." A servant stated.

"Guess that means its time to stop." The second Noble, Takami said.

Ino paid them no mind and continued to Naruto who had turned expectantly with a small grin on his features which quickly fell into a suspicious frown when Ino didn't even look at him when she grabbed his arm and pulled him off the side of the road.

_Wonder what she's up to now?_

Without a hand sign, a clone popped into existence, wordlessly taking his place in the group, ready to dispel in case anything happened. That taken care of, Naruto let himself be led around by the blonde vixen.

They hardly noticed Kurama's quick glance as they delved into the forest.

* * *

He'd noticed she was angry an hour into the mission. It was barely noticeable and steadily growing as they continued on. He wasn't completely oblivious and the Nobleman was pretty straightforward as he put the 'moves' on Ino. Naruto was annoyed and all but mostly because his wife and kids were on the carriage behind them.

Ah, the drama that was the lives of the rich and powerful.

A minute of fast paced walking and they were far enough away from the group that they couldn't be heard but they could return to in case anything happened, Ino stopped and turned around, pushing him against a tree and latching onto him.

"...You okay?" Naruto asked when their make-out session turned into an exchange of quick chaste kisses.

"Yeah, I just really needed that." Ino answered, setting her head on his chest. She sighed in contentment and closed her eyes briefly. Ino always felt the most relaxed alongside Naruto. Months of waking up in each other's arms was clearly showing up in her psyche.

"...You had to ruin the moment." Ino muttered, playfully biting his collar bone.

"Your hot, what can I say?" Naruto retorted, moving his hands from her breasts to the dip in her back before moving to her ass and squeezing.

"True." Ino allowed. There was two second pause in which Naruto gleefully smiled, ready to remove her shirt for some, _ahem_, easier access when, suddenly, there was no more Ino in his arms.

Naruto blinked owlishly before a snicker broke his astonishment – Ino was _fast_ – and he found her walking away on the same path they had arrived.

"Ah." Ino muttered, sighing. "I _really_ needed that."


	15. Chapter 15

There was movement outside their quarters, forcing Sasuke from his light slumber, and grabbing a kunai from under his pillow. He tensed, ready for an attack from the idiot that was trying to open their door.

"Don't." Naruto murmured sleepily from the other bed. "Its just Ino."

Sasuke grumbled, annoyed that he wasn't able to tell as quickly as Naruto had been able to but remained where he was.

"What a coincidence." A new voice called out from the boat's hall.

"Damn it." Naruto cursed and got up, not bothering to put a shirt on. Sasuke ignored him, grumpy and no longer able to even pretend to be a normal human and care about Naruto's relationship. The girl could take care of herself after all and if not...

She deserved it.

"Ino-san?" It was Kurama, the one that had been hitting on her. Naruto opened the door and Ino smacked right into him, waking her from her sleepwalking.

"Urk." Ino had no time to recover because Naruto threw an arm around her and pulled her inside. The Nobleman could only blink at the sudden disappearance.

"Sorry. She isn't feeling well." Naruto lied with a sheepish smile.

"Perhaps you should take her to the doctor." Kurama suggested.

"All she needs is rest." He said with an air of finality. "Besides, she's a medical ninja on the side."

"I see." Kurama murmured. "...Good night then."

"I'm afraid I can't let you go unescorted –" Naruto stated, pushing a confused Ino further into the room and closing the door behind her. "–its my duty to protect you after all."

"Of course." He agreed amicably, nodding and turning in the direction of his room. Once Naruto could no longer see, Kurama's face soured, almost pouting at the loss of the gorgeous woman. He was hard pressed to believe that she was a ninja and he was positive that he was close to wearing her down – maybe she'd be willing to become his mistress? Oh the things he would do to her!

Kurama let out a perverted giggle and Naruto eyed him strangely as they headed for the man's room.

* * *

**Sorry, been busy... I'll probably update either tomorrow or the day after that.**


	16. Chapter 16

Even Ino was starting to get creeped out by Kurama's insistent flirting and barely concealed innuendos. She usually avoided him, but they were taking shifts in keeping the Noblemen safe, and so Ino was forced to stay by his side for three hours everyday. Ino was seriously losing her patience. The fact that they were on a boat meant that it was a lot more tedious to hide in the shadows, and completely pointless anyway when the man talked to her regardless.

Although it made fooling around with Naruto so much more exciting.

Not to mention Sasuke would give them this disapproving look when they returned from whatever it was they were doing—they weren't complete horn-balls after all—which made Ino want to constantly sneak around in his presence.

"...its really rather unfortunate that I'm unable to take my family with me all the time, but I'm sure that smothering them isn't healthy, but sometimes I can't help it I mean—you've seen my twins, they're adorable. Here, I have a couple pictures that just bring out their cuteness," the Third Noblemen, Hiroki, rambled, brandishing a small bound book from within his silk kimono, and opening it to a rather worn page that spoke volumes. Ino could do nothing, but gush right along with him because his set of twins had been unbearably cute in their terrible twos.

They were interrupted when the Noblemen Kurama and Takami reached the deck, Naruto and Sasuke trailing after them, Naruto yawning.

"I-I wonder why he s-seems so t-tired?" Hinata wondered aloud, the konoichi having gathered to gush over Hiroki's children. Sakura, sitting across from them—at the breakfast table the crew so graciously provided—grimaced, and squinted at Ino, her suspicions remaining strong when Ino merely rose an eyebrow in response. Kurama spotted them, and walked over, leaving Takami in the dust, and gaining what had to be a flirtatious smile as he reached them.

"Ladies, how are you fairing?" Kurama asked in a gentlemanly fashion.

Hinata stuttered out an answer while Sakura merely nodded, and Ino grunted, hoping that the less ladylike she appeared, the less Kurama would want her. The man was all kinds of annoying, and it was only because it was their job was to protect him that Ino had left him alive.

All bets were off if he tried groping her though.

"Who's switching with me?" Naruto asked.

"I am," Sakura answered. "But not until after we arrive at the port." Naruto pouted at the answer. Ino almost smiled at the reaction, but it turned into a grimace when Kurama's attention seemed to latch onto her.

She turned away, more aggravated than usual.

Oh crap—it was her time of the month.

"In-" Before Kurama had a chance to finish, Ino was gone.

* * *

If things weren't annoying enough.

Ino sighed, a cramp hitting her before passing. Compared to dislocating a shoulder, cramps were nothing, but it was still an inconvenience and annoyance. She'd forgotten to pack any of her ingredients she normally carried to make her period much less of a hassle due to the fact that she was on a mission with Naruto. She tended to forget about trivial things when she was with him. Luckily, a quick trip to the ship's doctor, and her problem was solved, hygiene-wise.

It was embarrassing to say the least, to be so completely caught off guard by something that was a regular occurrence. She felt stupid and overly emotional, and it was all Naruto's fault.

Who, at the moment, wasn't even paying attention to her!

"Can you believe it Sakura! We'll get to see Yuki again!" Naruto prattled on excitedly. It seemed the gloom he had been exerting earlier was lifted with the near end of the mission. Ino knew that it was the idea of things going wrong. While the mission was classified as an A-rank, it was only classified as such because of the amount of money the Nobles were willing to pay and how many jounins they wanted. _Technically _it was a C-rank and Ino was fully aware of the luck Team 7 had with those—though maybe it was just Naruto.

"Don't get too excited. She's a princess. I doubt she'll have time to see us for more than ten minutes," Sakura chastised.

"Um—guys—we have a problem," Hinata said from the back. Her voice somehow managing to reach them despite how soft it was. Looking at her, Ino noticed that her Byukugan was activated.

"Damn it! We were so close!" Naruto yelled, nearly pulling out his hair out. Ino rolled her eyes and began to scan the forest for chakra signatures. Normally she took point, but they didn't have any formation going on. Naruto and Sasuke were arguably the strongest shinobi in the world. Sakura was the Hokage's apprentice, and both Hinata and Ino were clan heirs.

It was reckless, however, so she moved closer to Hinata who nodded in wordless confirmation. Team 7 was the powerhouse. Ino and Hinata were there for back up—they probably wouldn't even get to do anything.

The group they were protecting was unaware, however, and so they all went into different degrees of panic when a massive rock came barreling their way from ahead of the road they were on.

"Don't move!" Ino snapped, glaring back briefly at the few peasants that were trying to bolt into the forest. It would be harder to keep them safe if they scattered.

Sakura ran into it, punching it with her fist and breaking it into shrapnel that scattered all over the place. Hinata, already in position, twisted and expelled her chakra throughout the pores of her body, making it go much farther than Ino was used to seeing to protect the people behind them. Ino rose an eyebrow when Hinata didn't even seem winded at the amount of chakra she just used for the abnormally large kaiten.

_I don't remember Hinata having that much chakra..._ Ino decided to file it for later.

"Keep the destruction to a minimum, Forehead!" Ino called out. Honestly, she expected that of Naruto, not Sakura. Speaking of, Naruto was already spreading his clones around the caravan—because Nobles apparently could not travel without their entourage—and created a protective barrier of clones.

Ino pouted. Team 7 had all the fun.

They watched on as Team 7 made mince meat out of random shinobi that attacked. It was interesting to say the least.

Ino had never had the privilege of seeing Sasuke and Naruto work together. Team 10 hands down had the best team work—not that she was bias or anything—but it was weird to be on the receiving end of wordless communication. Watching it in action really gave her an insight to their psyche. It was interesting because while Team 10 had years worth of training and fighting together, Team 7 hadn't been together often—were apart for years, and still managed to have their synchronization down to an art form. Naruto and Sasuke especially.

Brothers indeed.

* * *

"And here I was hoping to use my new technique," Ino murmured. It was rather odd to find that so many ninja had been gathered to attack a measly caravan. More than half of their numbers were gone, thanks to Sasuke, and the rest had fled once they realized they were losing. Team 7 didn't usually take prisoners, so she was without a source of information.

Paranoia kept her scanning the caravan, looking for any inconsistencies. Just about all the faces she looked at had varying degrees of fear, amazement, shock, and relief.

_But something's _off_, _Ino thought, frustrated with her paranoia.

The collective emotions of the caravan was spooking the horses, so they were taking a break to collect themselves. It was then that Kurama's wife decided to exit the carriage she'd almost religiously kept herself in the whole way. It was then that Ino thought she saw a disappointment as the woman scanned the area.

_Ohh_, Ino blinked before grinning.

* * *

**Holy crap, is this an _update?_ Yep. Sorry to have disappeared for so long, but I had completely lost my touch with writing and I've just barely started back into it. So while the next update might not be anytime soon, it surely will not take another year and half. That at least I can promise. If you would like to see my thought process or random ramblings, I have a twitter account. You'd probably be able to bug me more in there for an update. Its on my profile if anybody cares.**

**Let me know how I did with this chapter. I need the critique. **


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